29/08/2025
BRIEF REPORT ON THE 3-DAY SUMMIT OF THE INAUGURAL AFRICAN CHIEFS OF DEFENCE STAFF
DATE: 25–27 August 2025
VENUE: Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
THEME: “Combating Contemporary Threats to Regional Peace and Security in Africa: The Role of Strategic Defence Collaboration”
HOST: Nigeria (Office of the Chief of Defence Staff). Gen. Christopher G. Musa (Chief Host and presiding figure).
✅ High-level Participation:
— Opening declared on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima.
— UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed delivered remarks to the inaugural session.
— Defence Chiefs and Senior Delegations from across Africa with over 50 countries participating.
✅ CDS Gen. Musa's Core Messages and Talking Points:
1. Own Africa’s Security Future. “Our strongest defence is strategic collaboration,” stressing African-led solutions over dependency.
2. Modernize for New Threats. Urged investment in AI, cyber defence, and indigenous defence tech/industry; called for force modernization and joint training.
3. Networked Response to Networked Threats. Emphasized intelligence sharing in Africa, joint operations, border management, and counter-radicalization as non-negotiables.
4. People-centric Security. Honoured fallen troops; linked durable security to public trust, justice, and development alongside kinetic action.
5. Candour on Threat Landscape. Highlighted terrorism, violent extremism, piracy, organized crime and cyber warfare as converging, transnational challenges.
✅ Short Summit Proceedings:
Opening Ceremony: Day 1:
— Calls for standardized doctrines and interoperability among African militaries.
Working Sessions: Days 1–2: Focus on:
— Integrated border security (porous borders fueling terrorism/trafficking).
— Actionable intel-fusion and joint training/exercises.
— Maritime security and Gulf of Guinea cooperation.
— Cyber defence frameworks and capacity building.
— Indigenous R&D / defence industrial base.
✅ Special Addresses:
— Presidency proposed a permanent forum/secretariat for ACDSS to ensure continuity of collaboration and strategy review.
— UN DSG emphasized multilateral backing for regional, African-led security architectures.
— Closing Ceremony Day 3: Defence chiefs pledged a united front against terrorism, extremism, cyber and maritime threats; reaffirmed pillars of collaboration, intel-sharing, joint training, and tech investment.
✅ Address Provisional Outcomes & Signals
1. Political Will for Continuity: Momentum toward a standing ACDSS platform to meet regularly, exchange intelligence, and harmonize strategies.
2. Consensus on Tech Leapfrogging: Cross-country appetite for AI/cyber capacity and indigenous procurement to reduce import dependence.
3. Operational Cooperation: Broad buy-in on joint training, doctrine harmonization, and interoperability (air, land, maritime, and cyber).
4. Narrative Shift: Strong framing of African-owned peace and security, emphasized by AU/UN participants and the host.
✅ Suggested Follow-up Actions for the CDS
1. Stand-up a “Permanent Forum” Working Group: Draft ToR, membership (regional rotations), meeting cadence, and a lean Abuja coordination cell to serve as the interim secretariat.
2. Task the J5/J7 & DICT Units:
Map intel-sharing protocols (legal, technical, classification).
Curate a 2025/26 joint-exercise calendar (CT, maritime, cyber).
3. Indigenous Tech Roadmap: Convene service tech chiefs and local industry for a 90-day AI/cyber modernization plan (pilot: malware labs, SOC upgrades, small-UAS countermeasures).
4. Border Management Pilot: With willing neighbours, trial an integrated border task force (intel fusion + drones + riverine patrols) in a chosen corridor; report lessons to the Forum.
5. Strategic Communications: Publish a post-summit communiqué and CDS op-ed capturing the “African-led security” doctrine and next milestones.
